Lanth Junkie Part 3
by
NaOH_r
 
 

When she returned a few minutes later, the tiny Lisa and her constellation of boxes were still surrounded by the green cube, still floating perhaps a foot of the floor.  Lisa was still lying outstretched in midair but she was no longer moving or making any sounds.  'Is everything all right?' Theresa demanded.

'Saturation is good.  It should set pretty quickly now,  look, you can see the movement in the target cube.'  Al was no longer concentrating intently on his consoles, although he kept glancing back at them.  And sure enough, Lisa was now settling closer to the floor only a few inches below her.  As they watched, the green grid began to fade but before it could disappear entirely, one of the boxes touched the floor of the target cube.  As soon as it did, the small glowing cube abruptly disappeared and its remaining contents tumbled the last inch or two to the floor.

Lisa's body jerked as she hit the floor and her eyes opened and slowly focused.  'Wow, that was a wild....'  She suddenly looked around her in alarm, as if seeing her surroundings for the first time.  'No, I guess it wasn't a dream.'  She stood up and circled the pile of boxes, all the time shifting her gaze left, right and, especially, up.  She stared in fright at the giant figure of Doug, who had slipped to the side of the target cube and was now grinning wolfishly at her.  'Stay away from me!'  She looked around beseechingly at the still, silent figures of Theresa and Al, standing at what appeared to her to be a considerable distance from her.  'Don't let him hurt me.  Please, don't any of you hurt me.'

Theresa abruptly snapped into action.  She crossed the space to Lisa in a few rapid strides and banished Doug to his place behind Al with a single fierce glare.  She crouched besides the frightened and bewildered shrunken girl and assured her, 'Nobody is going to hurt you.  You're going to be just fine.'  She beckoned to Al, and he hurried over, carrying a thin wooden tray, which he handed to her.  She placed it beside Lisa and started placing the now tiny boxes on the tray.  Lisa looked at her, puzzled, and then realized what was she was doing.  She picked up a jumbled mass of clothing that had formerly been the neatly packed contents of her travel bag and added it to the pile.  She remained standing in the midst of the pile on the tray, as if unwilling to venture into the great open space surrounding her.

Theresa carefully picked up the tray and slowly rose to her feet.  'Get the door for me, Al.'  Then she slowly bore her miniaturized cargo out the door and to the building where Claire lived.
 

Claire watched anxiously as Theresa lowered her burden gently to the floor.  Relief washed over Lisa's face as she recognized the only other person in the world who was her size.  She expression was still very frightened though, and Claire immediately ran to her and reached with both hands to grasp her shoulders.  'Don't worry. You're going to be fine.'  Lisa's face sagged and the two shrunken women embraced, murmuring encouragement to each other.

Theresa rose to her feet and viewed the scene at her feet with mounting distaste.  'How sweet,' she muttered to herself.   The two women separated finally and stood looking up at their giant visitor.  'I don't think you need me here, Claire.  You can take care of Lisa until tomorrow and I'm beat.  I'm staying at the apartment here tonight so call me if you need help.'  She walked through the still open main door and looked back.  'I don't need to tell you this, but don't buzz this door open for anybody but me.  Doug was even stranger than usual in there.'  And she was gone.  The great door clicked shut behind her.

Claire looked at Lisa and motioned for her to follow her through the door into the wooden structure that was her home.  Once they were inside, Lisa looked around curiously.  She found herself in what could be mistaken for an ordinary living room, except for the wrong proportions of the room or the odd lighting fixtures or the absence of any pictures on the walls or the heavy cloth serving as a carpet or the makeshift furniture or - everything in sight.  Everything was odd but everything looked functional, even comfortable.  It was easily the strangest living room Lisa had ever been in but it
still managed to have a homey, lived-in look.

She caught Claire looking at her slyly, finally breaking into laughter at her puzzlement.  'Welcome to my very humble home.  Actually it's bigger than any other place I've ever had, considering how big I, we, are. There's a real fine guest room for you through that door on the right and actually we have a lot of luxuries.  That's most of what's in those boxes out there.  They've shrunk a lot of stuff in various test runs and with...others before you.'  Her happy smile faded.  'I'm chattering, aren't I?  You're exhausted, everybody is, after going through that.  You need to rest.  And I know I shouldn't be so  glad to show you this.  I'm can't say how sorry I am that they did this to you.  But I've been so alone.'  She looked very wistful.

Lisa took a step to her and hugged her again.  'I'm just glad I'm not alone like this.  I don't think I could stand it.  And I can trust you.  You can trust me, too.'  Then, to Claire's surprise, she gave her a rather lingering kiss.  Before Claire could respond, though, she stepped back.  'I am exhausted though.  Which door is my room?'  Claire silently pointed the way.
 

Lisa emerged from her bedroom a couple of hours later, toweling her damp hair.  'That  has got to be the most bizarre shower, the most bizarre bathroom really, in existence.  It all works great though.  How did you figure out how to get all that stuff to work?'

Claire's feet were tucked under her as she sat on what could pass for a low couch.  She sipped champagne as she answered.  'Doug makes most of the furniture and things for me.  He really is quite talented with gadgets and things like that.  If he only wasn't such a creep.  You look happier than you did a while ago.  You okay?'

'No, not totally, but I'm more comfortable than I should be, knowing what I am what I am now, being a doll.  It's better when I don't have to look at regular sized things that seem so big to me.'  She looked appreciatively at the room about her.

'I know.  That's why I don't have any windows.  What is there I want to look at out there?  Want anything to eat or anything?  This is really good champagne, if you want a glass.'  She nodded to the silver cup doing service as an outsized ice bucket.  'And the box over there is full of good wine, if you want something different.'

Lisa stood quietly, looking at the opened champagne for a long moment.  'You know, this really is a cure-all for addiction.  A few hours ago, I'd have had a glass in me by now and another in my hand.  Now, I can just decide yes or no.  It doesn't matter much after what I, after what you too, I guess, went through while we were shrinking.'  She paused.  'Still, I think I'll have a glass with you.'  She poured a glass for herself and poked through the box of wine curiously.  'These really are good wines, really expensive too.   You have good taste in this stuff.'

'Not really, Theresa picks out all of them for me.  She's very knowledgeable about things like that.  You know, I don't think she cares much for good wine or food or music;  she never asked for anything like that when she was shrunk, but she knows all about it.'

'Manipulative bitch, isn't she.'  Lisa sat on the other end of the couch.

'She is that,' Claire agreed, 'but she takes good care of me.  Of everybody, really, as long as they do what she wants.  Like I say, she gets me any luxury imaginable, she gives Dr. Froendlich all the money for his research that he wants.  I'm sure she'll get me back to normal too, she's promised me she would.  Actually, I don't think she cares about money that much, except for the power that comes with it.'

'What about Doug? Where does he fit in all this?  She hates him, that's easy to see.'

'Doug?'  Claire frowned darkly.  'That creep.  Sure she hates him. I don't like him either.  No, he's the one that got her shrunk and started all this.  He was rich then but she took all his money away, she figured out how to do that right off.  But he's kind of handy to have around and I think she's afraid he might start talking about shrinking people if she doesn't keep him around.'  She finished her wine, stood and poured another before returning.

'How are you doing, after all this?  I can't imagine what a shock this must be to you.  I mean, less than a day ago, you couldn't have had any idea that things like this could even happen and now here you are, shrunk to doll size.
'I'm surprised at how not surprised I am.  I don't know, I guess I always think things will work out for me.  And it could be worse.'  She smiled fondly at Claire.  'I could have worse company.'  Claire stared back, guilt in her eyes.  But it only lasted a little while as Lisa stared innocently back in her turn.  Then Lisa felt a hand above her knee.

Quite a long while later, they sat apart but very near, still touching, while Lisa finally finished her wine.  'You know, my room is comfortable enough but I wonder if yours is nicer.'  They moved together from the couch.
 

Two days later, they sat together as they listened to Theresa's voice over a speaker.  That was more comfortable for all concerned.  Their size still reminded Theresa of what she had been once, while they found her intimidating enough without being reminded of how tiny they were compared to her.   'Al says everything is ready.  We should bring you back to normal right away.'

'How about Claire?'

'Not right now.  We can't do you both.  There's only enough charge, or uncharge, or whatever it is, to bring you back.  Claire's turn is coming.  Al's working on it; it shouldn't be too long for her now.'

'No, I mean Claire instead of me.  I kind of like being tiny.  I feel real good, I like being different for a while.'

Claire reached over to touch her hand.  'That's so sweet, Lee, but you can't do that.  Somebody knows you're here, you can't disappear like that.  Anyway, I have to wait until it's my turn.  I can't take yours, it wouldn't be right.'

Theresa's voice boomed.  'That's right.  We're being paid to do a job, which we've done.  Am I right, Lisa?  What would you do if I left you alone in a room with with an 8 ball for an hour?'

'An 8 ball?  Nothing, if there wasn't anybody to share it with.  Probably nothing even if there was.'  She squeezed Claire's hand.

'Good answer.  I pronounce you cured.  Now we'll bring you back and deliver you to Leo Saks and, I suppose, a life of fame and fortune.  That's the deal and I keep my promises.  I'll be right over to get you.'

The two shrunken women held each other tight one last time. Then Lisa marched out the door alone.


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